Will I learn on MT-07. Your thoughts on first bikes?

[stickshift]

1 hour ago, YamahaOverDiploma said:

@stickshift Appreciate it, what about 2 up riding, for longer distances, keep in mind the luggage. I know the recommended weight is 386lbs but I'm consirned of bikes handling with 2 ppl on it, how would the sus handle, accelerating, steering, etc.

Touring 2 up? MT07 can do it, but it's not great. Fit the K-Tech rear shock and get your self a screen.

R6 2 up touring is ridiculous...

Edited August 13, 2021 by stickshift

[YamahaOverDiploma]

Hello, everyone, quick news I look excessively big on MT 07 as when I sit on it my knees almost hit my arms, and I'm litteraly dwarfing it. Any recommendations, thoughts or something. 

Thanks everyone.

[Triple Jim]

I'm 6'2" tall.  My elbows aren't far from my knees when I'm on the 07.  I also find that this is the most comfortable motorcycle I've owned.  It's easy for me to ride a couple hundred miles on it without being overly tired.

The truth is, and no offense is meant, if you're concerned about how you look to other people, there are more impressive looking motorcycles than the MT-07.

[YamahaOverDiploma]

I'm not concerned how I look, tbh could care less about it, just wondering about will it impact the feel of the bike and impact on longer rides, but You solved those problems now :). Thanks.

[shinyribs]

 I'm also 6' 2". I hated the stock bars. Put on Protaper Adventure bars. Taller and rider. I still high forward slightly. Just enough to balance out the wind at speed. Friend commented on how compact the bike looked in person when I first got it home, but seeing my reflection while on my bike, it doesn't seem excessively small to me. 

[TMTYWSH]

On 8/10/2021 at 8:20 AM, YamahaOverDiploma said:

Hello everyone,

I created this account to ask you a few questions, I rode a scooter Tomos when i was 8yo all the way to 11, then at 16 i rode a 50ccm scooter for a season or two, Now I'm currently battled between 2008 Yamaha R6 or 2018 Yamaha MT 07 ABS. People were suggesting that I should start on smaller ccm bike to learn the basics. I've done motorcycle course and had a NK400 for a day with no troble with heavyer bikes.  There were a few other choises like Honda CBR 500R, Yamaha R3, Ninja 400. All of them fell short for some reason, for R3 I'm 6 foot 2 and about 210lbs with normal clothes, Honda doesnt have aftermarket parts and revs to only 10k and reading the forums people were saying it was just so boring compared to all others, Ninja 400 could not be imported beacuse of EURO 5 standards. 

MY WISH was supersport bike to learn how to ride that type of bikes, my question was.

1. Are naked and SS somewhat similar to riding style, and will there be big transition between the two.

2. Will I learn on MT 07 like I would on some smaller bikes like people are suggesting.

3. If you could choose what would you have chosen.

4.  Is R6 really that bad for a novice rider

5. R6 is cheaper than MT for about 500 or 1k.

6. I want to tour and will probably be doing some highway riding is MT suited for that.

7. I want to learn cornering, taking racing lines, some track days, my goal is to become the best rider I could be.

Sorry for my English, it's my third language. 

Don't get an MT-07, go supersport or something like a Honda CBR650r (that type of bike). So you want something conformable and sporty...go on youtube and look at videos of 650 twins doing track days and racing; SV650s, etc because those bikes have decent ergonomics and are sporty.

MT-07 is a great bike but it is nothing like a sport bike at all (rake and trail are different), it's built more like a stunt bike, people race them but they basically are turning it into an R7...

the yamaha like the r6 is a track ready bike, ergos are tough on your body; the gsxr 600 is known to be the most conformable 600 class (no abs option).  Is the Aprilia 660 an option (is there a dealer network) ?

Also for track days you want to change out all the stock fairings with some cheap ebay fairings (in case you crash), plus add sliders, etc. you are doing the right thing by buying used, I ride track also and I would rather have 2 older bikes than 1 new one.

Edited August 24, 2021 by TMTYWSH

[cornerslider]

On 8/13/2021 at 1:08 AM, YamahaOverDiploma said:

@mjh937 Here is the shock I found

 

K-Tech Suspension Razor-R Lite Rear Shock Yamaha FZ07 2015-2018 MT07 2019-2020 3 Way Adjustable

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K-Tech Suspension Razor-R Rear Shock Yamaha FZ07 MT07 2013 2016 Fully Adjustable Remote Reservoir

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RevZilla ships to Bosnia, Europe. Could You tell me the diffrence in the little tank and does the price increase really matter, if it's bad would You mind to recommend me something else. Should I buy a kit with it or would the shocks be just fine.

Also does anyone think Me 6'2 210lbs would look bik on the bike, that was the main reason I wouldn't go with R3 as I read and saw it would not perform good and would need more upgrades to withstand my weight. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks everyone for the help, you really helped me.

I just read this whole posting. I'd like to offer my experience.  I'm 52 years old, and been riding over 40 years, and owned everything from a Supermoto, to a Goldwing 1800.

For "most people", I'd say the "07" would be pretty aggressive for a first bike. Based on your physical size, it seems like a good fit. You want your first "real" bike to seem physically small. It may help the learning curve, and being able to use your size as leverage against a "tip-over" in a parking lot-

I owned an R6, and it was probably the most useless bike I've ever owned. It did NOTHING well!!! I tried it on the street (hated it), on a smaller/technical track (hated it), and on a big/high speed sweeping track (hated it)....  The R6 is really hard bike to ride well. I sold it less than a year after buying it-

I bought an "07" not long after the R6- WHAT a difference!!!! The "07" is sooo easy to ride, and does everything well. I love my "07" for both track & street.  I think you would enjoy the "07" for many years. I know I will never sell mine, as it does everything I need a bike to do -

As for the K-Tech shocks.... I own the one with the remote resivor (on my "07".) I also own an R3 with the "non-resivor" K-Tech shock. My advise is to go with the" non-resivor" K-Tech, and take the $300 you saved by doing so, and put it towards the front end of the "07". At a minimum, get fork springs that are proper for your weight (about $125). You can go with a Traxxion Dynamics AR-25 kit (about $425), and get nearly the same ride as a cartridge fork kit. Lastly, you can go with a full cartridge kit for $650-$1200. I went with the Traxxion Dynamics AR-25 kit, and I would do it again in a second. It is an absolute JOY on the street, and the track.

Hope that helps you out, good luck-

 

[Triple Jim]

1 hour ago, cornerslider said:

You can go with a Traxxion Dynamics AR-25 kit (about $425), and get nearly the same ride as a cartridge fork kit.

How does that compare to something like Race Tech gold valve emulators for about $150?

[stickshift]

3 hours ago, Triple Jim said:

How does that compare to something like Race Tech gold valve emulators for about $150?

The Traxxion Dynamics AR-25 kit includes an improved damper rod design and springs, as well as the valve similar to an emulator. Not a bad price for what you get.

Cogent also make their DDC emulator which is comparable to Racetech's Gold Valves:

Cogent Dynamics DR650 Drop-In Cartridges (DDC) | Adventure Bike Australia

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by stickshift

[YamahaOverDiploma]

@TMTYWSH Thanks for Your input on the topic, You disscused the main problem I had was, will I learn to ride a SS bike if I start on MT07.

@cornerslider Appreciate the comment and the help You gave me with those shocks and sus upgrade in general, would You suggest headlight upgrade for MT07 to LED.

 

What do you guys think:

Ninja 650, MT-07, Ninja Z750. 

[cornerslider]

9 hours ago, Triple Jim said:

How does that compare to something like Race Tech gold valve emulators for about $150?

I have quite a bit of experience with Racetech Emulators as well. By the time you add proper springs, adapters (required on the 07), and oil, your around the $350-$375 range.... The little bit more you pay for the AR-25 kit, is worth it (to me), as it is a much more refined version of Racetech. Better quality, and better performance -

[cornerslider]

3 hours ago, YamahaOverDiploma said:

@TMTYWSH Thanks for Your input on the topic, You disscused the main problem I had was, will I learn to ride a SS bike if I start on MT07.

@cornerslider Appreciate the comment and the help You gave me with those shocks and sus upgrade in general, would You suggest headlight upgrade for MT07 to LED.

 

What do you guys think:

Ninja 650, MT-07, Ninja Z750. 

You can always grow into an R6.... I doubt you would enjoy it as much as an 07 for street riding. The R6 is NOT a good bike to "learn" on (my opinion)-

[TMTYWSH]

5 hours ago, YamahaOverDiploma said:

@TMTYWSH Thanks for Your input on the topic, You disscused the main problem I had was, will I learn to ride a SS bike if I start on MT07.

@cornerslider Appreciate the comment and the help You gave me with those shocks and sus upgrade in general, would You suggest headlight upgrade for MT07 to LED.

 

What do you guys think:

Ninja 650, MT-07, Ninja Z750. 

Is Honda out of the picture ?  CBR650R ABS has everything. SV650 is an option, but it's a older bike that needs to be updated (not sure if ABS is available).

Back to the MT-07/FZ-07 it's a blast to ride, but I do not think it will do what you want, plus if you have to spend a lot of money on upgrades - it might be cheaper to get another bike.

[7fold]

It's kind of odd to see a lot of comments saying that the suspension on the MT is trash and needs to be replaced immediately to even be a functional bike. The factory suspension is fine for the majority of people and if your goal is to learn, then the MT would be perfectly fine. If you've never done a track day and never pushed a bike to it's limits, then you shouldn't get hung up on bike upgrades, rather rider upgrades.

I would say go for the MT as it's better suited to the majority of day to day tasks it sounds like you want to do (but it also sounds like you're hung up on getting a supersport because of the image of a fully faired bike) and there's room for improvement as you improve your own skills and recognize what the bike actually needs, rather than buying it and upgrading things because some people on the internet told you to haha. 

At the end of the day, it's your decision - get what YOU want and what YOU think would fit the majority of riding you plan to do. If it's just the occasional track day, then there's really no need for a full-on track weapon like the R6 if the majority of riding is going to be on the street. If you're uncomfortable on the bike, then it'll be difficult to improve your skills as a rider.

I will say that the 2 bikes make power very differently. The MT makes power immediately and requires good throttle control, while the R6 doesn't really do much down low but explodes towards the top of the rev range. It's that reason I think a lot of people get into trouble on inline 4 supersports as beginners - the lack of power low down in the rev range gives people a false sense of security and they underestimate how much power the bike has and how quickly it can come on. Give it a handful of throttle coming out because you think everything is under control, get into the powerband and suddenly lose control. The MT is different, it makes power immediately so it almost forces you to modulate the throttle or risk losing control; it's very upfront about that and why I think it would be better to learn on so long as you respect the power. 

I would vote for the MT - buy it, ride it, learn what the bike's and your own limitations are and upgrade accordingly. It's ultimately your call though, so it comes down to whatever you feel more comfortable and happy to own and ride, after all, it's your bike. Regardless of what you get, the motorcycle community will accept you haha.